Innovative
solutions to the design, management and maintenance of urban
greenspace

Holma, Malmo,
SwedenExample
of where the tenants have totally redesigned their
greenspaces with the aid of caretakers, who were specially
selected and trained to stimulate local
action

The Malmo Kommunal
Housing Company is responsible for several large blocks of
flats in Holma. There is a high proportion of immigrant
inhabitants and a lot of unemployment.

7-8 years ago the system
of maintaining the communal areas was changed, as the
external areas had deteriorated and the whole area was
developing as an area of social exclusion.

The system that started
in 1994 was that the caretakers of the blocks were employed
not only to be reactive to housing repairs and maintenance,
but also to be proactive in stimulating and encouraging the
residents to look after the communal areas themselves. That
part of the inhabitants' rents which was allocated by the
housing company for looking after the external spaces (in
the main the greenspaces) was identified. This was then
allocated to a fund over which the inhabitants, through an
elected Residential Area Committee, had control.

The money in the fund
had to be spent on improving the "outside" areas and the
residents had to work with the caretakers if they were to
get access to the fund and make changes happen. Swedish tax
laws and benefit laws had to be changed to enable this
experiment to take place - otherwise the inhabitants would
have had their Social Benefit payments reduced because of
the way the system was set up. However, the savings to
society from turning round a failed estate and making it
once more habitable (as indicated by the fact that it is now
an estate which people want to move into), are far greater
than any loss to the treasury. If this turn round in the
fortunes of the estate had not happened, eventually the
housing would have been demolished at great cost to Malmo
city, the Housing Company and the Government. The
improvement in the social problems affecting the local
people has also meant a reduction in the cost to society of
having to look after the socially excluded. The level of
"pride in where they live" is almost palpable as one moves
through the estate and this is reflected in the lack of
graffiti and the feeling of being somewhere safe.

Another unusual feature
of these blocks of flats is that the tenants can choose who
should take over a flat when it falls vacant, no longer the
housing office. This too is creating a strong sense of
pride.

The residents decided
that they did not want landscape architects or other
professionals involved in the planning for improvement of
their communal space. The result is a very different
landscape for a Swedish housing scheme - lots of pots of
plants, there is no litter and no graffiti, and everywhere
is very well kept.

Malmo city is applying
the principles worked out here to other problem estates.
This scheme has been so successful that it is now being used
as a model for initiatives elsewhere in Sweden.

Each group of people
living round a courtyard was involved by the caretakers in
working out what they wanted to do - where to put trees,
plants, flowers, features. The "old' landscape from the
original design was still there and the trees were retained,
as well as some shrubs. The paths too are still mostly where
they were originally.

The result is that each
courtyard is different - some small-scale with many small
spaces and some large with undulations added.

Many blocks of flats now
have their own communal space where once there was just mown
grass. While not totally fenced off, these are surrounded by
hedging and can only be entered through a symbolic gateway
which indicates very clearly who the spaces are meant for.
Some of these communal areas have become "play areas" for
adults and are well used by the older members of the
community (see picture below).

Everywhere the
caretakers have worked on the problem of managing waste and
litter - the "recycling" sites have pride of place in many
courtyards and many are decorated with flowers which are
looked after by the residents.

Features like this are
labour intensive, but if looked after by residents are no
problem - the metal work is sculptural.

Just outside the estate
the vandalism starts. Inside it the level of social control
and "ownership" of their spaces is so high that none can be
seen.

The areas within the
estate are well used by residents, both adults and children.
Blocks of flats nearby which are outside the scheme show
ample evidence of the graffiti, litter and poor maintenance
that is still prevalent in large housing areas.